Rumors Throughout Konoha, I, Shimura Danzō, Will Bear Them All

The best way to hide a secret is to bury it inside another; just as a drop of water, once cast into the ocean, can never be found again.

Izakaya

"Tell me, since White Fang caused such massive losses to the village, why hasn't he been punished?"

"White Fang? Is his business even important? Haven't you heard the latest?"

"What happened now? Hurry up and tell me!"

The man glanced around to ensure no one was listening, then beckoned the other closer and whispered, "Ever since the rumors about Lord White Fang spread, many secrets regarding our other ninja lords have surfaced. Do you remember how the Third Hokage actually became Hokage?"

The other man rolled his eyes: "What's the big deal? Wasn't it the dying wish of the Second Hokage? Everyone in the village knows that."

"You only know the surface, not the truth. Who said the Second Hokage appointed Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third? Wasn't it just them—his own disciples—who claimed it?"

"At the time, they were the Hokage Guard Platoon. If they encountered danger, they should have been the ones covering the Second Hokage's retreat. Instead, look what happened. I suspect they colluded with the Lightning ninjas to seize the Hokage seat, and that's how they killed the Second Hokage."

"Think about it: who among them isn't in a high position now, with more power and wealth than one can count? Among the Second's disciples, the only one who didn't get along with them was Kagami Uchiha, and he died under mysterious circumstances during those years. Think carefully—could this be a case of silencing witnesses?"

As he finished speaking, the man used his hand as a blade and made a sharp, slicing motion across his own throat.

"What! Is that the truth? I'd heard before that the Third Hokage acts kind and approachable, but secretly uses a crystal ball to peek into the public bathhouses. I knew he wasn't a good person." The other villager realized with a start.

"Wrong! You don't understand at all. The Second Hokage sacrificed himself willingly for the sake of the next generation." Suddenly, another villager who had been lurking behind them spoke up, having clearly been listening for a while:

"In fact, Senju Tobirama and his disciple Sarutobi Hiruzen had a very close relationship in their early years. Rumor has it that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to become Hokage... and that is why the Second Hokage used his life to cover the retreat of the Guard Platoon and designated Sarutobi Hiruzen as the Third Hokage."

"Huh? That's impossible, right? Two men... surely it wouldn't go that far..." The two looked at each other in disbelief.

"You don't believe it? Think about it: the Second Hokage never married in his entire life. No one ever heard of him having a special relationship with any woman, right?"

"After Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage, he married Biwako from his clan to cover up the nature of his relationship with his teacher. But in reality, he didn't love her. For all these years, Sarutobi Hiruzen hasn't even wanted to go home; he stays in the Hokage Building constantly, just to reminisce about his former teacher—Senju Tobirama—within those walls."

"You really are the one with the best sources." Before they knew it, the izakaya had filled with people.

"Then do you know about this? Years ago, Lord Shimura Danzō was secretly in love with Utatane Koharu, but she only had eyes for the handsome and powerful Kagami Uchiha."

"Consumed by jealousy and desperate to win back his beloved, Danzō struck during a mission, murdering Lord Kagami Uchiha. I heard he even gouged out his Sharingan."

"What! He actually murdered a comrade? No wonder they call that man the 'Darkness of Konoha'; he does all sorts of evil in the shadows." The crowd was shocked.

Suddenly, another man stood up, looking confident: "You definitely don't know this one. Let's just chat privately, but don't go repeating that it came from me."

"Tell us, tell us." The people nearby drank their sake, unable to wait.

"Listen closely. We were just talking about Lord Shimura Danzō, right? You might not know that when he was young, Danzō's dream was also to become Hokage."

"Later, because his good friend Sarutobi Hiruzen won the position through unfair competition, he was bitter. But he never gave up, working silently in the shadows, hoping to run for the Fourth Hokage in the future."

"However, a while back, Lord White Fang had achieved too much and was granted the 'Hokage Half-Sleeve.' To eliminate a rival, Shimura Danzō leaked Lord White Fang's location and intelligence to the ninjas of the Land of Lightning."

"He orchestrated the failure of Lord White Fang's mission and spread rumors throughout the village to destroy his reputation."

The crowd reacted: "So that's how it was! I was wondering why the news about White Fang spread so fast." "Lord White Fang made so many contributions; I was even speaking up for him before." "Hey, who isn't? It's all Danzō's fault."

"Didn't someone just say Danzō was in love with Utatane Koharu? I'll tell you secretly: a while ago, I saw Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura enter a small room together, and they didn't come out for a long time."

The Hokage Building issued an announcement: Recently, spies from other nations have infiltrated Konoha to spread baseless rumors. Villagers are requested not to believe or participate in them. Anyone found spreading rumors will be treated as a collaborator with enemy spies and dealt with severely.

In an instant, the entire village of Konoha was on edge, and the rumors on the surface came to an abrupt halt.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been feeling bitter lately. He had reached the pinnacle of life in both power and status, and now, the only thing he cared about was his reputation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't constantly go out into the village to make his presence felt, or hide "The Third Hokage is the Strongest Hokage" propaganda in the ninja academy textbooks.

When he first saw Danzō suppressing Hatake Sakumo's reputation, Sarutobi Hiruzen had secretly praised his old brother for being sensible—how could he let anyone else covet the Hokage seat? He never expected the situation to deteriorate to this point in just a few days.

Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen had to use the Transformation Technique whenever he went out; he simply couldn't stand the villagers' pointing fingers.

After issuing the announcement through the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to summon everyone involved in the rumors to a meeting to resolve the incident once and for all.

Under the subtle gazes of those present, an impatient Shimura Danzō took the initiative: "Fugaku Uchiha! The Anbu handles all matters related to ninjas in the village, and the Military Police Force only needs to maintain order among the civilians. Is the Uchiha clan incapable of even such a small task? With the rumors spreading to this extent, what crime should you, as the captain of the Military Police Force, be charged with?"

Upon hearing this, Fugaku Uchiha didn't get angry. If he had been targeted like this before, he would have been furious, but lately, Fugaku had been in a great mood. He hadn't expected to see such a good show, and he'd even finished two jars of his family's prized vintage.

Unhurriedly, ignoring Shimura Danzō, Fugaku spoke directly to Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Lord Hokage, the rumors have spread like wildfire; I fear nine out of ten people are involved. Are you planning to arrest them all?"

"Konoha has never had a tradition of punishing speech since its founding, and the regulations of the Military Police Force have never restricted the daily discussions of villagers. Of course, if the Hokage Building issues a direct order, I don't see why Konoha Prison couldn't be expanded."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag of his pipe and spoke slowly: "Fugaku, what you just said sounds like a bit of sophistry, but setting that aside, with things having reached this point, shouldn't your Military Police Force take responsibility for its own failures?"

Not expecting Sarutobi Hiruzen to be so shameless as to dump this pile of filth onto the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha felt a surge of irritation and was left speechless.

Seeing this, Genichi stepped forward: "Lord Hokage, once a rumor spreads, it becomes uncontrollable, but it was clearly targeting Senior Sakumo from the beginning. Can we use that as a lead to find the culprit?"

The Third Hokage subconsciously glanced at Danzō, who only let out a cold snort and remained silent.

Only then did he speak: "Genichi, your idea is good, but after so many days, those who initially spread the rumors have already retreated into the shadows. I fear it will be very difficult to find the mastermind."

"That is true, Lord Hokage, but I believe the most important thing for Konoha right now is to quell this wave of rumors. The culprit can be tracked down slowly later." Genichi said confidently:

"I have already thought of a way. We can resolve this rumor crisis today."

The crowd was surprised, and Sarutobi Hiruzen hurriedly urged: "Tell us your idea quickly."

Genichi was in no rush, speaking slowly: "Let me ask everyone a question first. If someone in Konoha committed a bad deed today, then I ask—who is this person?"

Even though it was a question devoid of logic, reason, or even complete premises—the kind that would make a first-year student at the Ninja Academy shake their head—everyone instinctively looked toward one person: Shimura Danzō.

Sensing the subtle, lingering gazes of the crowd, Danzō felt he couldn't defend himself, as the rumors really had nothing to do with him: "How dare you slander the assistant to the Hokage without a shred of evidence!"

"I never once said this person was Lord Danzō," Genichi replied with a chuckle.

Hearing Genichi's prompt, Sarutobi Hiruzen also realized what was happening, pondering to himself: That's right, the most important thing now is to quell the unrest, and isn't that exactly what Danzō is for? Things have reached such a point that simply blaming the rumors on enemy spies is likely no longer enough; we need someone with enough weight to take responsibility for this matter.

Besides, this whole affair started because of Danzō, so it is only fitting that he be the one to end it.

Sensing the shift in his old friend's gaze, Danzō understood his inner thoughts and, unwilling to sit still and wait for his demise, spoke up agitatedly: "Hiruzen, you..."

Genichi cut him off directly: "Speaking of which, I still don't know why Lord Danzō is always wrapped in bandages? It couldn't possibly be like the rumors say—that you stole the Sharingan of Kagami Uchiha, could it?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Realizing this was no place to stay, Danzō feigned anger, stood up, and walked toward the door: "It's just a few rumors. I, Shimura Danzō, will shoulder the burden of all the rumors in Konoha."

He slammed the door as he left, and the sound of his voice drifted in from outside: "Hiruzen, you will definitely regret this."

Shortly after, the Hokage's office issued a new announcement: The recent rumors were spread by the assistant to the Hokage, Shimura Danzō, for certain personal reasons, and were subsequently exploited by spies from other villages to escalate to this point. Please view the matter critically and do not be misled by enemy spies.

In view of the severe consequences of this matter, Shimura Danzō has been removed from his position as assistant to the Hokage and is currently confined for reflection.

The villagers nodded repeatedly upon reading it, all claiming they believed the explanation.

Having left the Hokage building, Shimura Danzō went straight to the laboratory of Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, replace my eye with a normal one."

Still working on his experiment without looking up, Orochimaru asked in confusion: "What is it? Is the pressure from the Sharingan too great? That shouldn't be the case."

"Hmph, the First Hokage Serum you developed is indeed excellent. I feel as though my body has grown several years younger; a single Sharingan should not be a problem," Danzō said.

"The wind has been blowing a bit hard lately; I cannot let the Uchiha Clan get a hold of any evidence. When can we conduct human experiments? You have been researching for so long—how much longer until you master the power of the God of Shinobi?"

"Heh." Orochimaru did not respond directly: "It is not that fast. Wood Style is different from ordinary bloodlines. Even for members of the Senju Clan, direct injection is a ten-out-of-ten death sentence. Are you still not satisfied with those First Hokage Serums?"

"I am very satisfied with the results, but isn't it too expensive?" When Shimura Danzō originally proposed restarting the "Wood Style Experiment," it was to use the village's money to handle his own affairs. He hadn't expected that for the "First Hokage Serum" Orochimaru was researching, not only would the village's budget be exhausted, but he would have to chip in several hundred million of his own, overdrawing the Root's funding for the next several years.

"Scientific research is like this in the early stages. Once the technology matures, the costs will decrease. To recreate the power of the First Hokage, these are all necessary sacrifices," Orochimaru explained with a chuckle.

Even without looking at the financial reports for the experiments, Danzō knew this snake was secretly swallowing a vast amount of his funding. But there was no help for it; his subordinates in the field of scientific research were all trash, and not a single one could compare to Orochimaru.

Danzō suddenly thought of something else: "Wait, that fellow named Hiruko who was in the same class as Orochimaru—wasn't he researching something in secret? Does he have any talent in this area?"